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Young Swinton dance stars sell-out help give severely ill kids a holiday


Teachers and pupils from Mariykas Dance Studios on Rutland Street in Swinton performed to sell-out crowds at the Robert Powell Theatre at Salford University in a bid to send desperately ill children on the sunshine trip of a lifetime.

Some 70 dancers took part in a two-night extravaganza, raising a whopping £1016.50 for the Eccles children’s charity Destination Florida.

SalfordOnline.com spoke to dance instructor Natalie Patterson, 32, who told us: “We have been putting on a fundraising show at the Robert Powell Theatre for the past 12 years.

“The two nights were sell outs and the theatre was full of proud parents all eager to cheer their children on.

“The children at Mariykas love it and to be honest I am glad that they are getting some recognition for their hard work.”

Destination Florida, who are based at the Clarendon Business Park in Eccles, use this money to give children between the age of seven and 15 a chance to enjoy the time they’ve missed due to illness.

The weekk-long holidays are meticulously organised with a full medical team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and carers. It means the children can still get their normal medical treatments while enjoying the holiday of a lifetime.

Natalie said: “It takes us 18 months to prepare the show, so we do one every two years, and everybody gets involved.”

“We raised extra money with raffle prizes which were all donated by members of the club, which shows just how generous that they are.”

If anybody is interested in joining Mariykas Dance Studios, they are always looking for new members and the age groups range from just two years old to adult classes.

Find them on Facebook here

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SalfordOnline.com's Local History Editor and Senior Reporter.